Where's all the UA J (Polaris) TPAC availability gone?

[levelnine]

Not exactly a date that most people want to fly, but I did just find one UA J reward seat from BNE to SFO back on the VA website:

I'm not that surprised.

When the flight is almost entirely empty, they will prob open to partners:



As I've mentioned in other threads, with US travel weakening, carriers are getting desperate to fill seats.

Qantas has award availability to the US in historically one of the busier travel periods of the year — the week before Christmas:

 

[bcworld]

When the flight is almost entirely empty, they will prob open to partners:

But this is exactly what United HASN'T been doing, since around August.

 

[levelnine]

But this is exactly what United HASN'T been doing, since around August.

This isn't a flight with low passenger numbers. This is a flight with almost no passengers.

 

[shak151]

I was able to find one from SYD to SFO

 

[ElizaB]

There is also one for the 21st of December MEL to LAX. I can only see 1 seat for each at the moment but I think they released more originally. The real tell will be what happens after Jan/Feb.

 

[levelnine]

The issue recently got some coverage in OMAAT: The Sad Decline Of United Polaris Business Class Award Availability

 

[bcworld]

There is also one for the 21st of December MEL to LAX. I can only see 1 seat for each at the moment but I think they released more originally. The real tell will be what happens after Jan/Feb.

The real tell is that there is zero availability in the coming few days even though the Polaris cabins are very undersold...in the "olden days" there would've been loads of reward seats available.

 

[rfc4eva]

Hi, I just went on seats aero to look at availability for flights from Australia to USA in Business and there was nothing at all. Over the last few years I've always been able to find random dates but was surprised when I couldn't find one. Is this the new norm with Velocity?

 

[levelnine]

VA's USA partner is United, and United have made a business decision to restrict award seats to its own members (specifically elites and credit card holders). Not much VA can do about it.

 

[SeaWolf]

There's an extensive thread about this already:

Thread 'Where's all the UA J (Polaris) TPAC availability gone?'

Aug 6, 2025

UA used to consistently release J availability for their TPAC routes MEL/SYD/BNE <-> LAX/SFO/IAH, sometimes at T-1 and all the way up to T-30 even.

Now, when running any sort of search (Example 1 or Example 2), there's nothing (at least in J).

Has a "change" happened? I have been monitoring the LAX/SFO <-> MEL route recently, as I need to book a flight home after a trip to the US in about 2 months time.
I'm a fair way away from their usual T-14 (I think?) drop, but if what I'm seeing right now is the usual, then it'll be a bit tough to get the date/s I'm after when that...

• MathNerd
• Replies: 109
• Forum: Virgin Australia | Velocity